Entenmann's may close area bakery

Executives at George Weston Bakeries Inc. are in the final stages of a review that could lead to some layoffs, product changes or possibly the shutdown of its Entenmann's bakery in Northlake.

The review, launched in March, is being conducted to determine the "viability" of the facility. In recent months, a sizable portion of its production has been shifted to Orlando and New York.

"It is [on the bubble] and everybody has known that since March," said Lou Minella, a spokesman for the Horsham, Pa.-based baking company.

Minella said production at the plant, which employs about 400 people, could be scaled back, refocused on different product lines or discontinued.

The review comes three years after George Weston Ltd., a Canadian conglomerate best known in the U.S. for making Girl Scout cookies, outbid Sara Lee Corp. and others to buy the former baking division of Unilever NV. Unilever acquired the division in its $20 billion buyout of Bestfoods Inc. four years ago.

In addition to Entenmann's, Toronto-based George Weston also acquired the Arnold, Brownberry, Boboli and Thomas brands from Unilever. Weston grouped the five brands in the Interbake Foods division, which still handles Girl Scout cookie production.

The Northlake bakery is among more than a dozen Entenmann's plants across the country.

The Northlake Entenmann's facility has been producing bagels for the Midwest and Southeast markets, some danish pastries and other sweet goods. In March, Entenmann's transferred the bagel production for the Southeastern U.S. to a facility in Orlando and its Little Bite production to New York. Little Bite is the name used to market bite-size portions of brownies, blueberry muffins, donuts, cinnamon rolls and bagels.

Once known as the Burny Brothers Bakery, the plant on North Avenue east of Interstate Highway 294 has been a fixture in Northlake for about 40 years.

Jeff Sherwin, the mayor of Northlake, said he has not been told the company is planning layoffs. "The last conversation I had with them was about three months ago when they were moving some of the production lines out of Chicago," the mayor said. "Whenever they do layoffs we get the notification, and we have not heard anything."

Minella said the review should be completed in two to three weeks.

Jethro Head, president of Local 1 of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, said the union has been aware of the company's study.

"They have been trying to decide what to do with the bakery," he said.